Why You So Crazy (2019)

After releasing two relatively restrained albums -- 2012's wistful This Machine and 2016's smoothly trippy Distortland -- in a row, it was inevitable that the Dandy Warhols would throw caution, and cohesion, to the wind. Granted, style-hopping is a more expected form of expression for this band than picking a single sound and sticking to it, but from its title to the '30s pastiche of its opening track "Fred and Ginger," Why You So Crazy quickly alerts listeners that this is the Dandy Warhols at their most eclectic. The band ...
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After releasing two relatively restrained albums -- 2012's wistful This Machine and 2016's smoothly trippy Distortland -- in a row, it was inevitable that the Dandy Warhols would throw caution, and cohesion, to the wind. Granted, style-hopping is a more expected form of expression for this band than picking a single sound and sticking to it, but from its title to the '30s pastiche of its opening track "Fred and Ginger," Why You So Crazy quickly alerts listeners that this is the Dandy Warhols at their most eclectic. The band's fusion of country and electro-pop makes for surprising highlights like "Highlife," a glitchy, rowdy twist on the band's legendary hedonism made even more distinctive by Zia McCabe's twangy lead vocals. "Sins Are Forgiven," which could be a ballad for space cowboys, is one of the album's best balances of irony and sincerity. Amidst these chameleonic sounds, the Dandys are savvy enough to include a couple of tracks that play to their proven strengths: "Be Alright" is a fine example of their stratospheric pop, while the sinister, vaporous "Next Thing I Know" sounds like a perfect fit for the Veronica Mars reboot. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
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